Cleaning article with decorative particles

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a cleaning article including a substrate, a base coating on at least a surface of the substrate, and a surface coating disposed on the base coating. The surface coating includes water, a binder, a cross-linker, a thickener, and decorative particles. The decorative particles constitute between about 30 to about 300 grams per square meter wet basis weight of the cleaning article. At least about 50% of the decorative particles remains on the cleaning article after use.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a cleaning article. In particular, thepresent disclosure relates to a cleaning article having decorativeparticles.

BACKGROUND

Cleaning articles, such as scouring materials, are produced in manyforms. These cleaning articles may be formed from any known materialused for cleaning or scouring and may include abrasive particles andother additives to increase their cleaning power. Examples of usefulcleaning articles are formed from natural or synthetic sponges andnonwoven articles.

Nonwoven abrasive articles generally have a nonwoven web (e.g., a loftyopen fibrous nonwoven web), abrasive particles, and a binder material(commonly termed a “binder”) that bonds the fibers within the nonwovenweb to each other and secures the abrasive particles to the nonwovenweb. Examples of nonwoven abrasive articles include nonwoven abrasivehand pads and surface conditioning abrasive discs and belts such asthose marketed by 3M Company of Saint Paul, Minn. under the tradedesignation SCOTCH-BRITE.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, the present invention is a cleaning article includinga substrate, a base coating on at least a surface of the substrate, anda surface coating disposed on the base coating. The surface coatingincludes water, a binder, a cross-linker, a thickener, and decorativeparticles. The decorative particles constitute between about 30 to about300 grams per square meter wet basis weight of the cleaning article. Atleast about 50% of the decorative particles remains on the cleaningarticle after use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a photograph of a cleaning article of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a cleaning article of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2A is a magnified view of a cleaning article of the presentinvention with decorative glitter particles.

FIG. 2B is a microscopic photograph of a first embodiment of decorativeparticles on the cleaning article of the present invention.

FIG. 2C is a microscopic photograph of a second embodiment of decorativeparticles on the cleaning article of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a magnified view of a cleaning article of the presentinvention with decorative plastic particles.

It should be understood that numerous other modifications andembodiments can be derived by those skilled in the art, which fallwithin the scope and spirit of the principles of the disclosure. Thefigures may not be drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1A shows a photograph and FIG. 1B shows a perspective view of thecleaning article 10 of the present invention, which may be a scouringpad, having a durable surface coating that includes decorativeparticles. The surface coating of the cleaning article minimizes theamount of decorative particles that flake off during the coating processand during use without adversely affecting the cleaning efficiency ofthe cleaning article.

The cleaning article 10 includes a substrate 12 with a base coating 14and a surface coating 14. The base coating 14 is embedded within thesubstrate 12. The surface coating 16 is then coated over the substrate12 and the base coating 14. In one embodiment, the substrate 12 includesa top surface 18 and a bottom surface 20 opposite the top surface 18. Inone embodiment, the top surface 18 and bottom surface 20 are generallyplanar. While FIG. 1 depicts the cleaning article 10 as being generallyrectangular, it is understood that any number of shapes and sizes of thesubstrate may be used for the cleaning article 10. For example, thecleaning article 10 may be circular, triangular, or square surfaces maybe provided.

Generally, either or both the top surface 18 and bottom surface 20 areworking surfaces that are intended to make contact with the surface tobe cleaned. In one embodiment, more than two working surfaces may beincluded. For example, if the substrate 12 has a cube shape, it may bethat all six sides of the cube are working surfaces intended to contactthe surface to be cleaned. In addition, although in FIG. 1, the surfacesare shown as including a texture but as a whole are generally planar, itis not essential that the working surface be planar. The working surfacemay be textured, patterned, angled, concavely or convexly curved. Theworking surface may include raised regions and recessed regions.

In one embodiment, the cleaning article 10 has a thickness of betweenabout 2 and about 50 millimeters, particularly between about 15 andabout 35 millimeters, and more particularly between about 10 and about18 millimeters. In one embodiment, the cleaning article has a basisweight of between about 50 and about 1500 grams/meter^(2,) particularlybetween about 300 and about 1200 grams/meter², and more particularlybetween about 500 and about 900 grams/meter².

The substrate 12 may be any known material in the art used for wiping,cleaning, or scouring. Useful substrates include, but are not limitedto: natural or synthetic sponges, pads formed of metal fibers such assteel wool pads or pads formed of narrow aluminum, bronze or plasticfibers or ribbons, paper, fabrics, knitted fabric, including threedimensional knitted spacers, woven fabric, and nonwoven fabric,polyurethane foams, and reticulated foams.

Nonwoven articles are particularly suitable as a substrate for thecleaning article 10. A nonwoven article is a web of fibers bonded to oneanother. One exemplary nonwoven web that may be suitable as thesubstrate 12 of the cleaning article 10 is the open, lofty,three-dimensional air-laid nonwoven substrate described in U.S. Pat. No.2,958,593 to Hoover et al, the disclosure of which is included herein.This nonwoven web is formed by randomly disposed fibers. One commercialproduct comprising such a nonwoven web is that sold under the tradedesignation “Scotch-Brite” available from 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn.

Typically, the nonwoven fiber web includes an entangled web of fibers22. The fibers may include continuous fiber, staple fiber, or acombination thereof. For example, the fiber web 22 may include staplefibers having a length of between about 20 to about 150 millimeters,particularly between about 40 and about 70 millimeters, and moreparticularly between about 40 and about 56 millimeters, although shorterand longer fibers (e.g., continuous filaments) may also be useful. Thefibers may have a fineness or linear density of at least about 1.7decitex (dtex, i.e., grams/10000 meters), at least about 6 dtex, or atleast about 17 dtex, and less than about 560 dtex, less than about 280dtex, or less than about 120 dtex, although fibers having lesser and/orgreater linear densities may also be useful. If a spunbond nonwoven isused, the filaments may be of substantially larger diameter, forexample, up to about 2 mm or more in diameter. It is contemplated thatfibers of mixed denier can be used in the manufacture of a nonwoven webin order to obtain a desired surface finish. The use of larger fibers isalso contemplated, and those skilled in the art will understand that theinvention is not limited by the nature of the fibers employed or bytheir respective lengths, linear densities and the like.

The fiber web 22 may be made, for example, by conventional air laid,carded, stitch bonded, spun bonded, wet laid, and/or melt blownprocedures. Air laid fiber webs may be prepared using equipment such as,for example, that available under the trade designation RANDO WEBBERfrom Rando Machine Company of Macedon, N.Y.

Nonwoven fiber webs are typically selected to be compatible withadhering binders and abrasive particles, if included, while also beingcompatible with other components of the cleaning article, and typicallycan withstand processing conditions (e.g., temperatures) such as thoseemployed during application and curing of the curable binder precursor.The fibers may be chosen to affect properties of the cleaning articlesuch as, for example: flexibility, elasticity, durability or longevity,abrasiveness, and finishing properties. Examples of fibers that may besuitable include, but are not limited to: natural fibers, syntheticfibers, and mixtures of natural and/or synthetic fibers. Examples ofsynthetic fibers include, but are not limited to: those made frompolyester (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate), nylon (e.g., hexamethyleneadipamide, polycaprolactam), polypropylene, acrylonitrile (i.e.,acrylic), rayon, cellulose acetate, polyvinylidene chloride-vinylchloride copolymers, and vinyl chloride-acrylonitrile copolymers.Examples of suitable natural fibers include, but are not limited to:cotton, wool, jute, and hemp. The fiber may be of virgin material or ofrecycled or waste material, for example, reclaimed from garmentcuttings, carpet manufacturing, fiber manufacturing, or textileprocessing. The fiber may be homogenous or a composite such as abicomponent fiber (e.g., a co-spun sheath-core fiber). The fibers may betensilized and crimped, but may also be continuous filaments such asthose formed by an extrusion process. Combinations of fibers may also beused.

In those nonwoven cleaning articles including a lofty open nonwovenfiber web (e.g., hand pads, and surface conditioning discs and belts,flap brushes, or nonwoven abrasive webs used to make unitized orconvolute abrasive wheels) many interstices between adjacent fibers aresubstantially unfilled by the binder and optically abrasive particles,resulting in a composite structure of extremely low density having anetwork on many relatively large intercommunicated voids. The resultinglightweight, lofty, extremely open fibrous construction is essentiallynon-clogging and non-filling in nature, particularly when used inconjunction with liquids such as water and oils. These structures alsocan be readily cleaned upon simple flushing with a cleansing liquid,dried, and left for substantial periods of time, and then reused.Towards these ends, the voids in these nonwoven abrasive articles maymake up at least about 75 percent, and preferably more, of the totalspace occupied by the composite structure.

To chemically bind the fibers together, the web 22 may be reinforced,for example, by the application of the base coating 14, which typicallyis a resin to bond the fibers at their mutual contact points to form athree-dimensionally integrated structure as described in Hoover et al.In some constructions, an additional second base coating is applied overthe first base coating to further reinforce the web. The selection andamount of binder actually applied can depend on any of a variety offactors including, for example: the fiber weight in the nonwoven web,the fiber density, the fiber type, as well as the contemplated end usefor the finished article. Exemplary methods of applying the base coatinginclude: roll coating, spray coating, dry powder coating, suspendedpowder coating, powder dropping, liquid dip coating, fluidized bedpowder coating, electrostatic powder coating, critical gas dilutionliquid resin coating, or other commonly used coating processes.

Other known means of forming a three-dimensionally integrated structurefrom the nonwoven fibers are within the scope of the present invention.As an alternative or in addition to the base coating applied to thefibers to form the nonwoven, the fibers may be melt-bonded together at aportion of points where they contact one another to form athree-dimensionally integrated structure, as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,685,935 to Heyer et al.

The base coating 14 generally includes water, binder, anti-foamingagent, additive, and pigment. In one embodiment, the base coating 14includes between about 10 and about 50 wt % water, particularly betweenabout 15 and about 45 wt % water, and more particularly between about 20and about 40 wt % water. In one embodiment, the base coating 14 includesbetween about 40 and about 70 wt % binder, particularly between about 40and about 60 wt % binder, and more particularly between about 35 andabout 45 wt % binder. In one embodiment, the base coating 14 includesbetween about 0.01 and about 1 wt % anti-foaming agent, particularlybetween about 0.01 and about 0.75 wt % anti-foaming agent, and moreparticularly between about 0.05 and about 0.5 wt % anti-foaming agent.In one embodiment, the base coating 14 includes between about 2 andabout 10 wt % additive, particularly between about 5 and about 7 wt %additive, and more particularly between about 7 and about 7 wt %additive. The selection of additive will depend on the binder selection.In one embodiment, the base coating 14 includes between about 0.2 andabout 2 wt % pigment, particularly between about 0.5 and about 1.5 wt %pigment, and more particularly between about 0.6 and about 1 wt %pigment.

The base coating 14 may be applied to the substrate 12 by roll coating,spray coating, immersion coating, or other known coating techniques. Thesurface coating 16 may then be applied over the base coating 14 by rollcoating, spray coating, immersion coating, or other known coatingtechniques.

The selection and amount of the base coating 14 actually applied to thesubstrate 12 can depend on any of a variety of factors including, forexample, the substrate type. If the substrate is a nonwoven, factors toconsider include the fiber weight in the nonwoven web, the fiberdensity, the fiber type, as well as the contemplated end use for thefinished article. In one embodiment, the coating weight of the basecoating 14 may range from about 50 to about 300 gsm(dry), andparticularly from about 100 to about 200 gsm(dry). In one embodiment,the coating weight of the surface coating 16 may range from about 50 toabout 400 gsm(wet), and particularly from about 150 to about 250gsm(wet).

The surface coating 16 generally includes water, a binder, acrosslinker, a thickener and decorative particles 24. In one embodiment,the surface coating 16 includes between about 5 to about 25% by weightwater, particularly between about 10 and about 25% by weight water andmore particularly between about 15 and about 25% by weight water.

The binder incorporated in the surface coating 16 may be the same binderor different from the binder incorporated in the base coating 14. Thebinder is any substance that will cohere to the substrate. Followingcuring, the binder may be water soluble or water insoluble. In oneembodiment, the binder of the surface coating 16 is a resin. Suitableresins include, but are not limited to: phenolic resins, polyurethaneresins, polyureas, styrene-butadiene rubbers, nitrile rubbers, epoxies,acrylics, and polyisoprene. The binder may be water soluble. Examples ofwater soluble binders include water-soluble binders include surfactants,polyethylene glycol, polyvinylpyrrolidones, polylactic acid (PLA),polyvinylpyrrolidone/vinyl acetate copolymers, polyvinyl alcohols,carboxymethyl celluloses, hydroxypropyl cellulose starches, polyethyleneoxides, polyacrylamides, polyacrylic acids, cellulose ether polymers,polyethyl oxazolines, esters of polyethylene oxide, esters ofpolyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide copolymers, urethanes ofpolyethylene oxide, and urethanes of polyethylene oxide andpolypropylene oxide copolymers.

Examples of suitable curable binders include resole phenolic resins,novolac phenolic resins, epoxy resins, polymerizable acrylic monomersoligomers and polymers, alkyd resins, cyanate resins, aminoplast resins,urea-formaldehyde resins, urethane resins (one-part and two-part), andcombinations thereof. Depending on the curable binder precursor systemselected, an appropriate curative (e.g., a crosslinker, catalyst, orinitiator) may also be present. The selection and amounts of suitablesuch curatives are well known in the abrasives art. An example of acommercially available polyurethane resin includes, but is not limitedto, Alberdingk® U9380, available from AlberdingK Boley Inc. located inGreensboro, N.C.

Curable binder compositions may contain various additives. For example,conventional resin filler(s) (e.g., calcium carbonate or fine fibers),lubricant(s) (e.g., alkali metal salts of stearic acid and lightpetroleum oils), grinding aid(s) (e.g., potassium fluoroborate), wettingagent(s) or surfactant(s) (e.g., sodium lauryl sulfate), defoamer(s),pigment(s), dye(s), biocide(s), coupling agent(s) (e.g., organosilanes),plasticizer(s) (e.g., polyalkylene polyols or phthalate esters),thickeners, and combinations thereof. Typically, the curable binderprecursor will include at least one solvent (e.g., isopropyl alcohol,methyl ethyl ketone, water) to facilitate coating of the curable binderprecursor on the nonwoven fiber web, although this is not a requirement.

In some embodiments, the curable binder precursor is a urethaneprepolymer. Examples of useful urethane prepolymers include, but are notlimited to, polyisocyanates and blocked versions thereof. Typically,blocked polyisocyanates are substantially unreactive to isocyanatereactive compounds (e.g., amines, alcohols, thiols) under ambientconditions (e.g., temperatures in a range of from about 20° C. to about25° C.), but upon application of sufficient thermal energy, the blockingagent is released, thereby generating isocyanate functionality thatreacts with the amine curative to form a covalent bond.

Useful polyisocyanates include, for example, aliphatic polyisocyanates(e.g., hexamethylene diisocyanate or trimethylhexamethylenediisocyanate); alicyclic polyisocyanates (e.g., hydrogenated xylylenediisocyanate or isophorone diisocyanate); aromatic polyisocyanates(e.g., tolylene diisocyanate or 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate);adducts of any of the foregoing polyisocyanates with a polyhydricalcohol (e.g., a diol, low molecular weight hydroxyl group-containingpolyester resin, and/or water); adducts of the foregoing polyisocyanates(e.g., isocyanurates, biurets); and mixtures thereof.

Useful commercially available polyisocyanates include, for example,those available under the trade designation ADIPRENE from ChemturaCorporation, Middlebury, Conn. (e.g., ADIPRENE L 0311, ADIPRENE L 100,ADIPRENE L 167, ADIPRENE L 213, ADIPRENE L 315, ADIPRENE L 680, ADIPRENELF 1800A, ADIPRENE LF 600D, ADIPRENE LFP 1950A, ADIPRENE LFP 2950A,ADIPRENE LFP 590D, ADIPRENE LW 520, and ADIPRENE PP 1095);polyisocyanates available under the trade designation MONDUR from BayerCorporation, Pittsburgh, Pa. (e.g., MONDUR 1437, MONDUR MP-095, orMONDUR 448); and polyisocyanates available under the trade designationsAIRTHANE and VERSATHANE from Air Products and Chemicals, Allentown, Pa.(e.g., AIRTHANE APC-504, AIRTHANE PST-95A, AIRTHANE PST-85A, AIRTHANEPET-91A, AIRTHANE PET-75D, VERSATHANE STE-95A, VERSATHANE STE-P95,VERSATHANE STS-55, VERSATHANE SME-90A, and VERSATHANE MS-90A).

To lengthen pot-life, polyisocyanates such as, for example, thosementioned above, may be blocked with a blocking agent according tovarious techniques known in the art. Exemplary blocking agents includeketoximes (e.g., 2-butanone oxime); lactams (e.g., epsilon-caprolactam);malonic esters (e.g., dimethyl malonate and diethyl malonate); pyrazoles(e.g., 3,5-dimethylpyrazole); alcohols including tertiary alcohols(e.g., t-butanol or 2,2-dimethylpentanol), phenols (e.g., alkylatedphenols), and mixtures of alcohols as described.

Exemplary useful commercially available blocked polyisocyanates includethose marketed by Chemtura Corporation under the trade designationsADIPRENE BL 11, ADIPRENE BL 16, ADIPRENE BL 31, ADIPRENE BL 46, andADIPRENE BL 500; and blocked polyisocyanates marketed by BaxendenChemicals, Ltd., Accrington, England under the trade designation TRIXENE(e.g., TRIXENE BL 7641, TRIXENE BL 7642, TRIXENE BL 7772, and TRIXENE BL7774).

Typically, the amount of any urethane prepolymer present in the curablebinder precursor is in an amount of from about 10 to about 40 percent byweight, particularly in an amount of from about 15 to about 30 percentby weight, and even more particularly in an amount of from about toabout 25 percent by weight based on the total weight of the curablebinder precursor, although amounts outside of these ranges may also beused.

Exemplary curatives for urethane prepolymers include aromatic,alkyl-aromatic, or alkyl polyfunctional amines, preferably primaryamines. Examples of useful amine curatives include4,4′-methylenedianiline; polymeric methylene dianilines having afunctionality of 2.1 to 4.0 which include those known under the tradedesignations CURITHANE 103, commercially available from the Dow ChemicalCompany, and MDA-85 from Bayer Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa.;1,5-diamine-2-methylpentane; tris(2-aminoethyl) amine;3-aminomethyl-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohexylamine (i.e., isophoronediamine),trimethylene glycol di-p-aminobenzoate, bis(o-aminophenylthio)ethane,4,4′-methylenebis(dimethyl anthranilate),bis(4-amino-3-ethylphenyl)methane (e.g., as marketed under the tradedesignation KAYAHARD AA by Nippon Kayaku Company, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan),and bis(4-amino-3,5-diethylphenyl)methane (e.g., as marketed under thetrade designation LONZACURE M-DEA by Lonza, Ltd., Basel, Switzerland),and mixtures thereof. If desired, polyol(s) may be added to the curablebinder precursor, for example, to modify (e.g., to retard) cure rates asrequired by the intended use. The amine curative should be present in anamount effective (i.e., an effective amount) to cure the blockedpolyisocyanate to the degree required by the intended application; forexample, the amine curative may be present in a stoichiometric ratio ofcurative to isocyanate (or blocked isocyanate) in a range of from 0.8 to1.35; for example, in a range of from 0.85 to 1.20, or in a range offrom 0.90 to 0.95, although stoichiometric ratios outside these rangesmay also be used.

In one embodiment, the binder cures to be generally clear or colorless.A binder that cures to be generally clear or colorless is more easilycolored to a desired selected color. A binder that cures to be generallyclear or colorless may also accentuate decorative particles 24 of thecleaning article 10. A binder that may have a color or cloudiness may bedifficult to achieve a desired color. Examples of binders that cure tobe generally colorless include styrene-butadiene rubbers, acrylics, andepoxies.

In one embodiment, the surface coating 16 includes between about 25 andabout 70% by weight binder, particularly between about 40 and about 70%by weight binder, and more particularly between about 50 and about 65%by weight binder. In one embodiment, the binder constitutes betweenabout 30 and about 300 grams per square meter (GSM) wet basis weight ofthe cleaning article, particularly between about 60 and about 150 GSMwet basis weight of the cleaning article, and more particularly betweenabout 75 and about 125 GSM wet basis weight of the cleaning article.

In one embodiment, various processing techniques may be applied to allor a portion of the binder in the base coating 14 or the surface coating16 to enhance the resistance to wear. For example thermal curing, UVcuring, or e-beam curing may be used with the appropriately selectedresins. In this embodiment, uncured portions wear faster than curedportion.

The surface coating 16 includes a crosslinker to promote linking of thepolymer chains. In one embodiment, the surface coating 16 includesbetween about 1 and about 20% by weight crosslinker, particularlybetween about 2 and about 15% by weight crosslinker, and moreparticularly between about 3 and about 9% by weight crosslinker.Examples of suitable crosslinkers include, but are not limited to, aminocrosslinkers, such as: methylated melamine resins, mixed ether melamineresins, butylated melamine resins, urea resins, butylated urea resins,benzoguanamine resins, and glycoluril resins. Examples of commerciallyavailable crosslinkers include, but is not limited to: Cymel® 373 and385, available from Allnex located in Overland Park, Kans.; Resimine714, 730, 731, 735 and 740, available from King Industries, Inc. locatedin Norwalk, Conn.

A thickener is included in the surface coating 16 to increase theviscosity of the surface coating composition. In one embodiment, thesurface coating 16 includes between about 0.5 and about 3% by weightthickener, particularly between about 0.5 and about 2.5% by weightthickener and more particularly between about 0.5 and about 2% by weightthickener. Examples of suitable thickeners include, but are not limitedto, cellulosic thickeners, silicone elastomers, synthetic polymers,chemical based thickeners and combinations thereof. An example of acommercially available cellulosic thickener includes, but is not limitedto, CAB-O-SIL, available from Cabot Corporation located in Alpharetta,Ga.

The surface coating 16 of the present invention includes decorativeparticles 24 to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the cleaning article10. As mentioned above, the decorative particles 24 are compatible withthe clear binder resin of the surface coating 16. The decorativeparticles may include, but are not limited to: glitter, syntheticminerals, and natural minerals. Examples of suitable glitters include,but are not limited to: polyester glitters, polypropylene glitters,polyethylene glitters, and combinations thereof. An example of acommercially available polyester glitter includes, but is not limitedto, Silver Sparkle Flake, available from Meadowbrook Inventions, locatedin Bernardsville, N.J. FIG. 2A shows a magnified view of a cleaningarticle 10 of the present invention having decorative glitter particles24 a in the surface coating. FIG. 2B is a microscopic photograph of afirst embodiment of decorative particles on the cleaning article of thepresent invention. FIG. 2C is a microscopic photograph of a secondembodiment of decorative particles on the cleaning article of thepresent invention. FIG. 3 shows a magnified view of a cleaning article10 of the present invention having decorative plastic particles 24 b inthe surface coating.

In one embodiment, the surface coating 16 includes between about 2 andabout 30% by weight decorative particles 24, particularly between about2 and about 20% by weight decorative particles and more particularlybetween about 3 and about 10% by weight decorative particles. In oneembodiment, the decorative particles include between about 1 and about30 wt % of the cleaning article, particularly between about 3 and about15 wt % of the cleaning article, and more particularly between about 4and about 8 wt % of the cleaning article. In one embodiment, thedecorative particles constitute between about 30 to about 300 grams persquare meter (GSM) wet basis weight of the cleaning article,particularly between about 50 to about 200 GSM wet basis weight of thecleaning article, and more particularly between about 60 to about 150GSM wet basis weight of the cleaning article.

In one embodiment, the decorative particles are between about 30 toabout 500 microns each in size, particularly between about 30 and about300 microns in size, and more particularly between about 30 and about200 microns in size.

In order for the decorative particles 24 to be retained on the cleaningarticle 10 while providing the desired aesthetic affect, the size of thedecorative particles 24 can be chosen relative to the size of the fibersin the fiber web 22. In one embodiment, a ratio of fiber size todecorative particle size is between about 0.1 to about 5, particularlybetween about 0.1 and about 3, and more particularly between about 0.1and about 2.

The base coating 14, the surface coating 16 or both may include optionaladditives. For example, the additives may be dispersed throughout thebinder of the coatings or separately applied following application ofthe coating. Exemplary additives include, but are not limited to: acrosslinker, filler, catalyst, fragrance, perfume, microcapsules,antibacterial agents, antimicrobial agents, antifungal agents,antifoaming agents, thickeners, fillers, or abrasives. In oneembodiment, including filler such as titanium dioxide in the surfacecoating 16 aids in covering the color substrate, which may be the colorof a base coating 14.

It may be particularly advantageous to include abrasive particles 26 onthe cleaning article 10 to enhance the scouring ability of the cleaningarticle 10. The abrasive particles 26 may be included in the basecoating 14, the surface coating 16, or may be separately applied afterapplication of the base coating 14 or the surface coating 16, ifincluded. The abrasive particles 26 that may be used in the cleaningarticle 10 include all known abrasive materials as well as combinationsand agglomerates of such materials. Suitable abrasive materials includeinorganic materials, for example aluminium oxide (including ceramicaluminium oxide, heat-treated aluminium oxide, and white-fused aluminiumoxide), silicon carbide, tungsten carbide, alumina zirconia, diamond,ceria, cubic boron nitride, silicon nitride, garnet, and combinationsthereof. Suitable abrasive materials also include softer, lessaggressive materials such as polymeric particles and crushed naturalmaterials (for example, crushed nut shells). Suitable polymericmaterials for the abrasive particles include polyamide, polyester,poly(vinyl chloride, poly(methacrylic) acid, polymethylmethacrylate,polycarbonate, polystyrene, and melamine-formaldehyde condensates. Theabrasive particles should have a particle size small enough to allowthem to penetrate into the bonded web 12′ and, subject to that, it iscontemplated that abrasive agglomerates, for example those described inU.S. Pat. Nos. 4,625,275 and 4,799,939, may also be used. In oneembodiment, the average particle sizes of the abrasive particles 26range from about 1 to about 2000 microns.

In one embodiment, when the abrasive particles 26 are included in thebase coating 14 or the surface coating 16, the coating includes betweenabout 22 and about 65 wt % abrasive particles 26, particularly betweenabout 22 and about 50 wt % abrasive particles 26, and more particularlybetween about 22 and about 40 wt % abrasive particles 26.

In one embodiment, the abrasive particles 26 are added to the cleaningarticle 10 separately from the base coating 14 and the surface coating16. In this case, the abrasive particles 26 are added in an abrasivecoating 28 after application of the base coating 14. The abrasivecoating 28 generally includes water, binder, abrasive particles 26 andpigment. In one embodiment, the abrasive coating 28 includes betweenabout 10 and about 25 wt % water, particularly between about 15 andabout 25 wt % water, and more particularly between about 28 and about 25wt % water. In one embodiment, the abrasive coating 28 includes betweenabout 10 and about 30 wt % binder, particularly between about 15 andabout 30 wt % binder, and more particularly between about 20 and about25 wt % binder. In one embodiment, the abrasive coating 28 includesbetween about 22 and about 65 wt % abrasive particles 26, particularlybetween about 22 and about 50 wt % abrasive particles 26, and moreparticularly between about 22 and about 40 wt % abrasive particles 26.In one embodiment, the abrasive coating 28 includes between about 0.2and about 2 wt % pigment, particularly between about 0.5 and about 1.5wt % pigment, and more particularly between about 0.6 and about 1 wt %pigment.

In one embodiment, the cleaning article 10 includes a nonwovensubstrate. The base coating 14 is a prebond binder that serves toreinforce the fibers of the web together. In other words, without thebase coating 14, the nonwoven substrate does not have the structuralintegrity to maintain its shape through use and the base coating 14 isessential to holding the structure of the nonwoven together. The surfacecoating 16 having the decorative particles 24 is applied over the basecoating 14. The cleaning article 10 may also include abrasive particles26 added in the base coating 14, the surface coating 16, or separately.One suitable method of making this embodiment is to roll coat the basecoating 14 over the fibers of the nonwoven and then to spray coat thesurface coating 16. It is understood that the base coating 14 penetrateswithin the fiber web 22 to secure and reinforce the web 22 creating anonwoven article with structural integrity. Also, it is understood thatthe surface coating 16 is applied over the base coating 14 to cover thebase coating 14. The surface coating 16 may also partially penetrateinto the fibers of the web 22.

To make the cleaning article 10 as previously discussed, the nonwovencan be prepared by first forming a fiber web 22 by using crimped staplefibers in a “Rando Webber” web-forming machine (available from RandoMachine Corporation, Macedon, N.Y.). The binder is applied to the fibersthe nonwoven web to facilitate bonding of the fibers at their mutualcontact points by the base coating 14. In one embodiment, the binder isroll coated onto the web 22. This coated web is then oven-dried to curethe binder of the base coating 14. Then, the web 22 is spray coated withthe surface coating 16, which includes the decorative particles 24. Thiscoated web is then oven-dried to cure the binder of the surface coating16.

In another embodiment, the nonwoven can be prepared by first forming aweb by using crimped staple fibers in a “Rando Webber” web-formingmachine (available from Rando Machine Corporation, Macedon, N.Y.). Thebinder is applied to the fibers the nonwoven web to facilitate bondingof the fibers at their mutual contact points by the base coating 14. Inone embodiment, the binder is roll coated onto the web 22. This coatedweb is then oven-dried to cure the binder of the base coating 14(intermediated web). Then, the web is spray coated with the surfacecoating 16, which includes the decorative particles 24 sprayedindependently in series with the surface coating 16 (decorative web).This coated web is then oven-dried to cure the binder of the surfacecoating 16. This can be done in one continuous process on a singleprocess manufacturing line or can be broken down into several processsteps in different manufacturing lines.

The cleaning article 10 of the present invention is a decorativecleaning tool that can clean a surface while retaining the decorativeparticles and not adversely affecting the cleaning efficiency of thecleaning tool. One particularly suitable application for the cleaningarticle 10 is as a scouring article utilized in cleaning, scrubbing andscouring dishes, pots, and pans. Such a cleaning article is intended tobe used in excess of 5 independent cleaning cycles. The presence of thedecorative particles does not substantially affect the ability of thecleaning article to clean, or scour, a surface.

The decorative particles of the surface coating 16 substantially remainon the cleaning article 10 even after use. Loss of the decorativeparticles can be visually evaluated by putting the samples in a soapsolution with intermediate stirring for about 30 minutes. The loosedecorative particles which dislodge from the cleaning article arecollected to estimate the percent loss of decorative particles when putin actual use. Generally, any dislodged decorative particles aretransferred to the surface being cleaned. In one embodiment, at leastabout 98%, at least about 95%, at least about 90%, at least about 80%,at least about 75%, at least about 60%, and at least about 50% of thedecorative particles remain on the cleaning article after use.

Although specific embodiments of this invention have been shown anddescribed herein, it is understood that these embodiments are merelyillustrative of the many possible specific arrangements that can bedevised in application of the principles of the invention. Numerous andvaried other arrangements can be devised in accordance with theseprinciples by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the scope of the presentinvention should not be limited to the structures described in thisapplication, but only by the structures described by the language of theclaims and the equivalents of those structures.

EXAMPLES

The present invention is more particularly described in the followingexamples that are intended as illustrations only, since numerousmodifications and variations within the scope of the present inventionwill be apparent to those skilled in the art. Unless otherwise noted,all parts, percentages, and ratios reported in the following examplesare on a weight basis.

Materials

Component Name Description Supplier NEXYLON PA66 Nylon 6,6 staple fiber(7 dtex, EMS-CHEMIE (Neumünster) 40 mm length, crimped) GmbH & Co. KG,Neumünster, Germany CR-4510 Phenol formaldehyde resin SI Group IndiaLimited, (72% solids) Maharashtra, India SS AF 5520 Silicone antifoamemulsion Supreme Silicones, (60% solids) Maharashtra, India GreenPigment Dispersion Green pigment (50-60% Shreya Aniline Industriessolids) Private Ltd., Mumbai, India Brown fused alumina 240 Aluminumoxide particles Guiyang Baiyun Abrasives Co., Ltd., Guiyang, ChinaCalcium carbonate Calcium carbonate particles Tara Minerals andChemicals, Private Ltd., India ALBERDINGK U 9380 Aliphatic polyesterAlberdingk Boley Inc., polyurethane aqueous Greensboro, North Carolina,dispersion (33% solids) USA CYMEL 385 Methylated high imino Allnex USA,Inc., Alpharetta, melamine resin (crosslinking Georgia, USA agent) (85%solids in water) Polyester Jewels Silver polyester glitter flakesMeadowbrook Inventions, (0.006 inch, hexagon shape) Inc., Bernardsville,New Jersey, USA CAB-O-SIL M5 Untreated fumed silica Cabot Corporation,Boston, (thickener) Massachusetts, USA SCOTCH-BRITE Heavy Nonwovenscouring pad 3M Company, St. Paul Duty Scouring Pad Minnesota, USA

Test Methods Schiefer Cut Test

Schiefer cut testing was performed to evaluate the relative abrasivenessof the glitter coated nonwoven scouring materials. The test wasperformed in a generally similar manner as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,626,512 (Palaikis et al). The nonwoven scouring materials tested werecut into circular pad (8.25 cm in diameter). The test was conducted withthe nonwoven scouring pad rotating at 250 rpm for 5000 revolutions undera load of 2.25 kg with water applied to the surface of the circularacrylic work piece (10.16 cm in diameter) at a rate of 40-60 drops perminute. Results are given as the weight loss of the acrylic work pieceand are reported as grams per 5000 revolutions. Results are reported forthe two major surfaces (top and bottom) of each of the nonwoven scouringpads tested.

Gardner Wear Test

Wear testing was performed to evaluate the durability of the glittercoated nonwoven scouring materials. In this test the nonwoven scouringmaterial was rubbed against an abrasive surface with the weight loss (ofthe nonwoven scouring material) noted after the test. Wear testing wasperformed in a generally similar manner as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,681,361 (Sanders, Jr.) with the differences being that the test samplesize was a 8.5 cm×8.5 cm, the abrading material was a 220 Grit AbrasiveBelt (having aluminum oxide particles), the downward load applied to thetest sample was 2.25 kg, and the results are reported as weight loss ingrams per 50 cycles (back and forth equals 1 cycle).

Cleaning Efficiency Test

A 5.08 cm×22.86 cm 18 gauge stainless steel panel was coated with a foodsoil mixture made up of 120 grams milk, 60 grams cheddar cheese, 120grams hamburger, 120 grams tomato juice, 120 grams cherry juice, 20grams flour, and 100 granulated sugar, and one egg. The coated panel wasbaked in an oven at 230° C. for one hour. The panel was alternatelycoated and baked three times. The coated panel was then placed in a traycontaining approximately 250 ml of a 4% aqueous dishwashing soapsolution. A 7.5 cm×10.0 cm pad of the nonwoven scouring material wasinserted into the holder of a Gardner Heavy Duty Wear Tester No. 250.The nonwoven scouring pad was then run back and forth on the coatedpanel under an applied force of 2.25 kg until the coated panel was clean(no coated material visually remained on the panel). The number ofcycles (back and forth equals one cycle) required to result in a cleanpanel was recorded. The nonwoven scouring pad was removed from theholder and then washed thoroughly under running tap water, so that allthe food particles which were entrapped in the pad were washed off.Excess water was then removed (by shaking), and the test was repeatedwith the next coated panel. The test was repeated until 8 panels weretested. The cleaning efficiency of the scouring pad is reported as thePercent Performance Yield.

Glitter Loss Estimation

A 3 inch×4 inch (7.6 cm×10.2 cm) pad of the glitter coated nonwovenscouring material was used for this test. The initial weight of the padwas recorded (Al). One liter of a lukewarm (40° C.) 2% aqueousdishwashing soap solution was prepared and stirred well to create afoamy solution. The pad was then immersed in the soap solution for a 30minutes with moderate stirring so that the pad was not stationary in thesoap solution. The pad was then removed from the soap solution and thepad was squeezed for about one minute so that any soap solution taken upby the pad was squeezed out of the pad and back into the soap solutionin the test container.

The soap solution was then filtered through a fine gauge fabric intoanother container. The initial weight of the fabric in grams was noted.The fabric only allowed only the soap solution to pass through to thesecond container, whereas any solid material (glitter particles, looseminerals, fibers, etc.) remained on the fabric surface. The fabrichaving the filtered solid materials was then allowed to dry and theweight after drying in grams was noted in grams. The solid material(glitter particles, loose minerals, fibers, etc.) that had collected onthe fabric was removed from the fabric and weighed. The weight in gramswas recorded as (A2). The estimated % Glitter Loss based on the initialweight of the glitter coated nonwoven scouring nonwoven scouring pad wascalculated as: % Glitter Loss=(A2/A1)×100.

Example 1

A lofty nonwoven web was prepared from NEXYLON PA66 nylon staple fibers.The nonwoven web was formed on a conventional air-laying web formingmachine (available from the Rando Machine Corporation of Macedon, N.Y.,under the trade designation RANDO-WEBBER). The thickness of the nonwovenweb was 12.03 mm and the area weight (basis weight) of the web wasapproximately 190 grams per square meter (gsm). The nonwoven web wasthen impregnated with a prebond resin solution (Formulation 1) using astandard two-roll coater. The coated web was then dried and the prebondresin cured by passing the coated web through an oven having atemperature ranging from 125-140° C., yielding a prebonded, loftynonwoven web. The amount of prebond resin solution coated as dry solidswas 322 gsm.

The resultant prebonded, lofty nonwoven web was then spray coated onboth major surfaces (top and bottom) with a binder solution containingabrasive particles (Formulation 2) to a wet add-on basis weight of 460gsm. The coated web was then dried and the binder cured by passing theweb through an oven having a temperature ranging from 140-180° C. toform a strong abrasive coating on the lofty nonwoven web.

The resultant abrasive particle coated web was then spray coated on bothmajor surfaces (top and bottom) with a binder solution containingglitter particles (Formulation 3) to a wet add-on basis weight of 75gsm. The coated web was then dried and the binder cured by passing theweb through an oven having a temperature ranging from 140-180° C. toform a glitter particle coating on the lofty nonwoven web.

Formulations 1, 2 and 3 are provided in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Components Formulation 1 Formulation 2 Formulation 3 CR-451067.60 wt % 23.00 wt % — SS AF 5520  0.50 wt % — Green Pigment Dispersion 0.80 wt %  0.80 wt % — Water 31.10 wt % 20.20 wt % 22.00 wt % Brownfused alumina 240 — 46.00 wt % — Calcium carbonate — 10.00 wt % —ALBERDINGK U 9380 — — 61.69 wt % CYMEL 385 — —  7.31 wt % PolyesterJewels — —  8.00 wt % CAB-O-SIL M5 — —  1.00 wt %

Example 2

Glitter coated nonwoven scouring pads were prepared as described forExample 1 except that the thickness of the nonwoven web wasapproximately 12.63 mm and the amount of ALBERDINGK U 9380 inFormulation 3 was 49.35 wt %.

Example 3

Glitter coated nonwoven scouring pads were prepared as described forExample 1 except that the thickness of the nonwoven web wasapproximately 11.89 mm, the amount of ALBERDINGK U 9380 in Formulation 3was 49.35 wt %, and the wet add-on basis weight of the binder solutioncontaining glitter particles was 121 gsm.

The glitter coated nonwoven scouring pads of Examples 1-3 were evaluatedusing the test methods described above. SCOTCH-BRITE Heavy Duty ScouringPads (11 mm approximate pad thickness) were also tested as controlsamples. Schiefer Cut Test and Gardner Wear Test results are provided inTable 2 and Table 3. The data in Table 3 was obtained after machinewashing the nonwoven scouring pads for 2 hours. Cleaning Efficiencyresults are provided in Table 4. The glitter coated nonwoven scouringpads still had a good glitter appearance after testing.

TABLE 2 Schiefer Cut Weight Gardner Wear Weight Pad Loss (grams/5000Loss (grams/50 cycles) Thickness revolutions) Top Top Surface/ Example(mm) surface/Bottom surface Bottom Surface Example 1 11.89 3.86/3.235.48/5.27 Example 2 12.63 4.32/4.02 6.11/5.26 Example 3 12.03 4.55/4.065.12/3.86 Control 10.74 4.69/4.86 7.28/8.25

TABLE 3 Schiefer Cut Weight Gardner Wear Weight Pad Loss (grams/5000Loss Thick- % revolutions) (grams/50 cycles) ness Shrink- Topsurface/Bottom Top Surface/Bottom Example (mm) age surface SurfaceExample 8.77 20.85 2.43/2.35 8.09/7.81 1 Example 8.79 20.76 2.57/2.116.44/7.73 2 Example 9.51 20.81 2.53/2.66 7.12/6.09 3 Control 8.83 25.342.19/2.02 8.70/7.98

TABLE 4 Control Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 (No. of (No. of (No. of(No. of Panel No. cycles) cycles) cycles) cycles) 1 76 87 98 75 2 84 9279 72 3 84 91 84 76 4 80 94 89 75 5 80 97 94 87 6 89 109 108 96 7 103110 99 114 8 108 119 107 134 Average no. of cycles 88.00 99.88 94.7591.13 Ratio* 0.0909 0.0801 0.0844 0.0878 Performance Yield 100.00 88.1292.85 96.59 (%)** *Ratio = Number of Panels cleaned/Average number ofcycles for each individual test sample **Performance Yield (%) = (Ratiovalue of individual test sample/Ratio value of Control) × 100

Example 4

An additional example of a glitter coated nonwoven scouring pad wasprepared as described for Example 1 and two test samples of thismaterial were used for estimating the percent glitter loss using theGlitter Loss Estimation test described above.

Test Sample 1: A1=6.7582 grams; A2=0.0366 grams; estimated % GlitterLoss=0.5416%Test Sample 2: A1=6.7582 grams; A2=0.0074 grams; estimated % GlitterLoss=0.1095%

Although the present invention has been described with reference topreferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize thatchanges may be made in form and detail without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cleaning article comprising: a substrate; and abase coating on at least a surface of the substrate; and a surfacecoating disposed on the base coating, the surface coating comprising:water; a binder; a cross-linker; a thickener; and decorative particles,wherein the decorative particles constitute between about 30 to about300 grams per square meter wet basis weight of the cleaning article, andwherein at least about 50% of the decorative particles remains on thecleaning article after use.
 2. The cleaning article of claim 1, whereinthe binder is selected from the group consisting of: polyurethane,polyester, acrylic, styrene butadiene, melamine formaldehyde resin, andcombinations thereof.
 3. The cleaning article of claim 1, wherein thesurface coating comprises between about 5 and about 25% by weight water.4. The cleaning article of claim 1, wherein the surface coatingcomprises between about 25 and about 70% by weight binder.
 5. Thecleaning article of claim 1, wherein the surface coating comprisesbetween about 1 and about 20% by weight crosslinker.
 6. The cleaningarticle of claim 1, wherein the surface coating comprises between about2 and about 30% by weight decorative particles.
 7. The cleaning articleof claim 1, wherein the surface coating comprises between about 0.5 andabout 3% by weight thickener.
 8. The cleaning article of claim 1,wherein the decorative particles comprise between about 1 and about 30wt % of the cleaning article.
 9. The cleaning article of claim 1,wherein the binder constitutes between about 30 and about 300 grams persquare meter wet basis weight of the cleaning article.
 10. The cleaningarticle of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises fibers.
 11. Thecleaning article of claim 10, wherein a ratio of fiber size todecorative particle size is between about 0.1 to about
 2. 12. Thecleaning article of claim 1, wherein the decorative particles arebetween about 30 to about 500 microns each in size.
 13. The cleaningarticle of claim 10, wherein the fibers have a length of between about20 and about 150 millimeters.
 14. The cleaning article of claim 1, wherea thickness of the cleaning article is between about 2 and about 50millimeters.
 15. The cleaning article of claim 1, where the cleaningarticle has a basis weight of between about 50 and about 1500grams/meter².
 16. The cleaning article of claim 1, where the substratecomprises a nonwoven web, foam, paper, fabric or combination thereof.17. The cleaning article of claim 1, where the decorative particlescomprise glitter, melamine minerals, natural minerals or combinationthereof.
 18. The cleaning article of claim 1, further comprisingabrasive particles.